Latest news with #NMás
Los Angeles Times
08-07-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Two Camp Mystic counselors from Mexico describe managing campers through the Texas floods
As the deadly floods in Texas took place over the Fourth of July weekend along the Guadalupe River, two counselors from Camp Mystic — an all-girls Texas Christian youth camp — had to put on a brave face as they watched their campers. Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate, 19-year-old camp counselors from Mexico, recalled the events during the deadly disaster that killed more than 100 people, including 27 campers and counselors, in an interview with NMás Saturday. In the very early morning hours of July 4, Zárate first heard the torrential downpour that prevented her from sleeping and at 3 a.m. the electricity went out throughout the Hunt, Texas, camp. At midday, the counselors were informed that girls from another section of the camp had been caught in the flooding and that the surviving girls were safely relocated in a camp dining hall. Realizing the severity of the situation and seeing that the survivors from the other part of the camp were evacuated via helicopter, Zárate and Garza Valdez began preparing the campers under their supervision. 'We began writing the girls' names on their skin, wherever it could be visible,' Zárate said. 'We told them to make a bag with all their things, whatever was most necessary ... to get ready to evacuate. But we didn't know if they were going to evacuate us or not and so we waited.' It wasn't until the water spilled out of its banks and furniture from the campgrounds rushed by that the younger campers began to really understand what was happening. That's when questions were slung at Zárate and Garza Valdez, who reassured their troop that they'd be OK. The campers were quelled with games and songs until they were informed that they too would be evacuated. 'All the girls lost their cool, they all began crying because they didn't want to leave campgrounds, because they wanted to be with their parents. It was a terrible situation,' Garza Valdez said. 'It was never reported to us that anyone died because no one was really sure in the moment. What they told us at the time was that 25 girls were missing and that two were [safely] found at a nearby campground.' Reflecting on having survived the flooding, Garza Valdez said the entire incident was surreal. 'I felt like I was in a dream. I didn't think it was real,' she said. 'I don't think I understood the gravity of the situation until we left on the Army trucks. It was terrible. A week before, we were sleeping in the affected cabins and so it was incredible to learn that they had moved us and that we are alive.' As of Monday morning, 10 campers and one counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, according to the Associated Press. Camp Mystic released a statement regarding the deadly flooding on its website Sunday. 'Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe river. Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,' the statement reads. 'We are praying for them constantly. We have been in communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.' A complete estimate for all the unaccounted for people has not yet been released. 'It was a storm from like a horror movie. The thunder was incredibly strong and you felt like the lightning was striking right by your side because it lit up all the cabins,' Garza Valdez said. 'It was a storm that of which I've never seen before in my life. It never stopped raining.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Where Will Pope Francis Be Buried? His Holiness Broke With Tradition for His Final Resting Place
Pope Francis will not be buried where popes in recent history have been laid to rest. The 266th pontiff previously shared his wish to be entombed at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, instead of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, where Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II and many others are buried. In a 2023 interview with NMás, Pope Francis revealed that he "always promised to the Virgin" to be buried there. "The place is already prepared. I want to be buried in St. Mary the Major," His Holiness said, translated to English. "It is my great devotion. My great devotion." Pope Francis, who was elected pope in 2013 and died on on Monday, April 21, explained his choice, saying, "Before, when I used to come, I would always go there on Sunday mornings when I was in Rome. I would stay there for a while. There is a very great bond." So, just where will His Holiness' place of burial be located? Here is everything to know about where Pope Francis plans on being buried. Pope Francis will be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. His Holiness' burial site will not be in Vatican City like St. Peter's Basilica. The Basilica of Saint Mary Major is located on the summit of the Esquiline Hill in Rome, Italy. Related: Pope Francis' future final resting place is one of Rome's four Papal Basilicas. The basilica's website notes that, "According to tradition, the Virgin Mary indicated and inspired the construction of her abode on the Esquiline Hill." While Pope Francis is breaking recent tradition with his final resting place, His Holiness won't be the first pontiff to be interred at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Per the basilica, there are currently seven popes buried there, includingPopeHonorius III, St. Pius V, Pope Sixtus V, Pope Clement VIII, Pope Paul V and Pope Clement IX. The latter, who died in 1669, is the most recent pope to be buried at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
